Phoenix-area elected officials and dignitaries, Walmart executives and loads of happy shoppers celebrated the grand opening of a new Walmart Supercenter this week at the iconic Metrocenter Mall, in northwest Phoenix.

“Opening the doors to this Walmart Supercenter and seeing the aisles fill with shoppers is so gratifying for all of us who’ve worked to bring this day to fruition,” said Paula Ginnett, a Walmart Vice President and Regional General Manager in Arizona. “We’re excited to be able to better serve our customers in northwest Phoenix, and to be part of the revitalization of the Phoenix landmark that is Metrocenter Mall.”

The 148,000-square-foot Walmart represents the single largest capital investment at Metrocenter Mall in decades. Built new from the ground up, the store is built on the site of the former Broadway building, which had been vacant since 2006.

“The opening of the new Walmart at Metrocenter Mall has not only created hundreds of jobs for Arizonans, but is also part of a larger effort to revitalize this landmark shopping complex,” said Jennifer Mellor, Vice President of Economic Development for the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. “This is exciting because it will be a major piece of the mall’s transformation into a multi-use, urban center.”

“Today’s grand opening is the first physical step in our strategic redevelopment of Metrocenter,” said Warren Fink, Chief Operating Officer for Carlyle Development Group. “With their opening, Walmart adds momentum to that effort and becomes part of our larger vision, which is to transform this site into a dynamic live-work-play environment, with multiple uses and a quickly-evolving mass transit system that will directly link this location to the entire metro area.”

The store offers a broad assortment of general merchandise and groceries, including an expanded selection of organics and gluten-free products, at Walmart’s Everyday Low Prices. Customers will also enjoy convenient on-site services, such as a full pharmacy with multiple service lanes and private consultation room, as well as a Walmart Pickup lounge, providing an easy way to shop millions of products on Walmart.com. The new store creates up to 300 jobs for full- and part-time associates.

The store will employ up to 300 full- and part-time associates. At the new Metrocenter location, Store Manager Duane Morrison started with Walmart 15 years ago and has managed multiple stores in Arizona.

Starting in 2015, Walmart began making a $2.7 billion investment over a two-year period in higher wages, more scheduling choices and further training for its associates. As part of increased wages across the company, the average full-time hourly associate now makes $13.79/hour in Arizona.

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